MV Magic Seas

History
Liberia
Name	Magic Seas
Operator	Allseas Marine
Port of registry	Monrovia
In service	2016
Out of service	2025
Identification	IMO number: 9736169 MMSI number: 636016531 Call sign: D5GP6
Fate	Sank in the Red Sea after a Houthi attack, July 7, 2025
General characteristics
Type	Cargo vessel
Tonnage	35,812 GT
Length	199 m (652 ft 11 in)
Beam	32 m (105 ft 0 in)
Installed power	MAN-B&W
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)

MV Magic Seas was a Greek-managed bulk carrier registered in Liberia. On July 6, 2025, the Houthi militants of Yemen attacked the vessel while it was in the Red Sea and sank it, having forced the crew of 22 seamen to leave the ship.

Magic Seas was a bulk carrier built in 2016 by DAYANG Shipbuilding in Yangzhou, China. It was flagged to Liberia. The ship was formerly named to Yangzhou Dayang DY40. The ship measured 35,812 gross tonnage (GT).^[1]

The vessel was managed by Paragon Shipping of Athens, Greece. Paragon's fleet consists of six bulk carriers and specializes in the transport of dry bulk cargo.^[2]

Attacks on MV Magic Seas
Part of the Red Sea crisis and Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)
Location	Red Sea, 54 nautical miles (100 km; 62 mi) southwest of Al Hudaydah
Date	July 6, 2025 (attacked) July 7, 2025 (sank)
Target	MV Magic Seas
Weapons	Unmanned surface vessel and explosives Additional missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (per Houthis)
Deaths	0
Injured	0
Perpetrators	Houthis

The Houthis have controlled much of northwestern Yemen since 2014, when they ousted the internationally-recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, and sparked a civil war. The Houthi militia claim to act in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. They claim that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom.^[3] The attack on Magic Seas came as Israel struck three Yemeni ports, as well as the merchant vessel Galaxy Leader, which the Houthis seized in November 2023. It was one of their first attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.^[4]

Magic Seas transported fertilizer and steel from China to Turkey. On July 6, 2025, as it was sailing in the Red Sea toward the Suez Canal, the Houthis contacted the vessel on VHF radio channel 16. This is the usual emergencies channel at sea. They demanded that Magic Seas stop. The vessel refused.^[5] The Houthis then initiated a sustained four-hour assault on the ship which involved gunfire, rocket-propelled grenades from skiffs, drones and missiles.^[6] According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Oversight Office (UKMTO) and the private security firm Ambrey, they also used rockets.^[7] The attack took place some 51 nautical miles (94 km; 59 mi) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah in a vital shipping corridor at the Red Sea.^[8]

The crew reported fires in the vessel's bow and the engine room and that at least two holds had been flooded. The ship also lost electricity.^[4] In the following hours the crew left the vessel and the Houthis boarded it. The Houthis then appear to have attached explosives to the ship at three points which were then detonated them remotely. This caused the ship to slowly sink.^[5]

The Houthis then published video of the raid and sinking online.^[5] They stated that they attacked the freighter with "two unmanned boats, five ballistic and cruise missiles, and three drones."^[9]

According to UKMTO, the crew of Magic Seas were safe after being rescued by a passing merchant vessel.^[3] Reuters later reported that the militia was holding crew members of Magic Seas. Reuters cited security sources, saying that six of the 22 crew members of Magic Seas were in the hands of the Yemeni militia.^[10]